New Vehicle Decisions

ShortStuff5

Hello mommies,
      The hubs and I are really wanting to upgrade our vehicle before the next baby gets here we've really liked the look and features of the Dodge caravan we have not drove it have only drove through the lot and looked. We originally wanted like a Jeep SUV but we go back and forth definitely something that can fit kids comfortably and spaciously. What are you mom's driving pros cons?! This will be baby number 2 and we plan on having at least one more if not two so want something that will accommodate and people keep saying vans break down and have so many problems etc. Thanks for any tips info etc as we really need to get moving on this decision because our car will not last us forever it's already got over 200k miles and just isn't going to accommodate forever.

littlemissc17

Good thread! I'm definitely following this one since we need a bigger vehicle as well. 

lancomechica2

We have one and this will be #2 and we hope to be good with the Subaru Outback. Everyone that I know that has gotten a van loves them. But I would say go for the "better" brands. Like the Honda Oddesey because they have so few problems compared to Dodge and Chrysler. 

cwalker042

My husband and I were contemplating getting a minivan. He researched them and the Honda Oddesey rated the best minivan. I have since decided I'm going to stick to SUV's but the Honda would have been our choice of a minivan. 

ariasbabyblog

We just bought at Toyota Sienna and I LOVE IT. I popped out one of the middle bucket seats so I have plenty of room to move around and store and get the kids in and out. We are stopping at three, but there is enough space for 6 people plus a driver. Everyone I talked to who also has a Sienna has loved them. 

I grew up in Dodge Caravans and I don't remember my parents talking about them having issues. We had one for years before my brother and I moved out, and even then they kept it until I started having children 4 years ago. 

lancomechica2

I have also heard great things about the Siena! 

curiousfool1

Talks of vans give me the shivers! One of my coworkers (who drives a van) has been ragging on me that it is just a matter of time. For now, we upgraded our car from a classic Mini Cooper to a Cooper Clubman - 4 doors, a trunk, and a roof rack. Between us, the kid, the dog, we're good. (I say that now ...)

littlemissc17

@curiousfool1 I feel the same way about vans. Absolutely no offense to anyone, I just can't see myself in one. We are trying to find an SUV with a third row. 

Airynn Chica

We would like to upgrade to a Kia Sorento. It has a third row but still gets good gas mileage. Mentally I haven't made the leap to mini van yet. 

hillaryo14

Last year, we got a Honda CRV, and we love it. It is pretty spacious. Honda's have a great reputation for reliability, too.
This is our 1st baby, so at this point I'm not too worried about the room. We figure for traveling after the baby is born, we can install a roof rack for luggage. We probably won't be taking big road trips with her until she gets a little older.

DungeonTrollMel

We upgraded last fall to a Honda Pilot in anticipation of one with possible two thanks to IVF. We had two big dogs and it's one of the few with enough space in the back. I absolutely love this car. Drives well and plenty of room 

nbatchen

This will be our third and we had to upgrade from our sant fe. We thought about a minivan but decided neither of us really wanted to drive one. We looked at lots of SUV's with third row and decide on a Ford Explorer Limited. We will have the baby and our 4 year old in the second row and our 15 year old in the third row. Even the third row has decent leg room! We are so glad we decided on it and now hubby and I fight over who gets to drive it!

NYTino24

@cwalker042 My sister just got an Odyssey and it's great! The passenger windows in the middle go down like a regular electric window, she has a sunroof, both sides have doors she can open with a button, etc. Plus she can put the back row of seats down into the floor and can move the 2 middle row seats into 3 different spots (together or apart).

m6agua

@nbatchen Not sure if you have already purchased your vehicle yet but check to see if the seatbelts are inflatable seatbelts (particularly in the 2nd row). A lot of car seats, if not most, cannot be used with inflatable seatbelts, although there are some that allow it.

ETA: *lurker Nov 16* 

Also if they do have those seatbelts, you can still use the LATCH system, but that generally has a weight limit of 65 lbs (seat + child).
https://thecarseatlady.com/vehicles/safety-features/inflatable-belts/

jarob747

We bought a suburban with our last LO who's now 18 months. We definitely plan to keep it. We love the room. I basically use the 3rd row for nursing till he was a year and diaper changes. We have 2 older kids who are driving so they're not with us much. I love all the room in the back for strollers and it still leaves plenty of room. Plus I still get my 4WD, it has dual DVD players for trips, all electric, climate control, easy access to 3rd row, sunroof, pulls the camper, blacked out windows for privacy and total luxury! Love my suburban! 

nbatchen

@m6agua nope it has regular old seat belts! 

slaven

I have a Ford Focus and DH has a Jeep Grand Cherokee. We'll keep both until at least the 3rd kid if that happens (this is our first). With 3 kids I'd probably just drive the Jeep and DH would drive the Ford.

IF I were to go for a mini van it would be the Honda Odessey(sp?). SUV would be the Pilot but I hate driving the Jeep so I can't imagine driving a larger SUV.

I'd rather buy narrow car seats that fit 3 in a row than buy a new vehicle. Only problem with my sedan is limitations on extended rear facing due to the minimal space, but it would be no problem in DH's Jeep. We also only have 2 small dogs (4 and 25lbs) and the Jeep has plenty of trunk space.  

dragonfly87-2

We drive a mazda cx-5 and jeep cherokee. We like they are both compact SUVs. My CX-5 gets great gas mileage (28mpg) for an SUV, DH's not so much (23mpg). 

I have driven some really nice minivans, but honestly, never plan to purchase one. We are contemplating being one and done, and even if we had a second child, we would stick with our current vehicles. Both have plenty of space in the back for two car seats if needed. We tend to own vehicles until they don't run anymore and our current cars are only 4 and 2 years old. So we have a while.

However, if I had to purchase a minivan...it would be the Toyota Sienna, otherwise known as the swagger wagon. I drove it for a weekend for a trip...and it was really nice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUG3Z8Hxa5I

eazybreezy225

I LOVE my minivan... I know there's a negative stigma around them.. but I'm the kind of person that DGAF about what it looks like or what people think. I have three kids and we are pregnant with our 4th and last. A minivan is seriously my best friend. I know that SUVs have the same seating capacity but they are so damn high off the ground, loading and buckling all my kids into car seats is more of a pain in the ass in those things.
I also love my sliding doors, seriously one of the best features of owning a minivan. it's a huge life-saver in parking lots and having the extra door space is really helpful for managing kids in both the 2nd and 3rd rows at the same time. Vans are seriously the best when you have kids.

ShortStuff5

@eazybreezy225 yes we don't care about the whole mom car thing lol or soccer mom heck I'd be proud to be a soccer mom as I played in school and was very good at the sport. The sliding doors are a big plus for us to go to a van because of the whole parking lot situation and i feel like a van will just be easier to manuever in the inside getting kids in and out of seats theres more of an aisle way and as a petite 5'2 mom who's girls are gonna be way bigger than me very early lol like daddy will help that I'm not having to throw them up in a SUV. May I ask what minivan you drive we are looking towards a Dodge Grand Caravan. Have heard alot about the Honda Odysseys being a great van as well.

mariposa_767s

We have a Honda Pilot and a Nissan Altima.  We're thinking about getting another Pilot to replace the Altima, but I'm not sure yet.  We don't want to spend a lot, but we will need a third row.  I also don't want anything too much bigger than a Pilot.  We will probably be looking in December/January for a used SUV with a third row.  I can't get down with the mom van thing...not yet anyway.  But we will have 4 kids between us, so we will need the room lol

eazybreezy225

@ShortStuff5 right now I drive a Chrysler town & country. Its been a good car, no major issues and drives well. But we need an upgrade, so we are looking at the Honda Oddyssey 

Abby7

Gah, car shopping, this has been THE WORST. I think we've wasted 4-5 weekends trying to find something. I want a third row since the back seat will be completely taken up by 2 car seats and DD is old enough to want friends in the car, and we sometimes have the grandparents in the car as well. No minivan, DH will not even consider it. Now he has all three-row SUVs spreadsheeted, by model year (because we are looking at used too), and he can't decide on anything. Or if he does, we test drive it and don't love it and then go back to the drawing board. It takes an entire afternoon just to test drive 3-4 cars and it is awful. Me, I just want to get in, love it, and if we can afford it, buy it.

ShortStuff5

So we went two days ago and picked out a used 2017 Dodge Grand Caravan low mileage pretty great price test drove it fell in love with it set up an appointment the next morning to go do all the paperwork on it and bring it home well that night my husband had a bad night at work where one of the foremen on the floor had it out for him yelling at him all night long etc so now my husband does not want to get that van in case something would happen to happen to his job from this foremen bad mouthing him to the area manager etc.  So I guess we are gonna go look at some older models 2012's 2013's with same features and model low mileage still 80,000 or less that are little more in our price range with payments incase husband would lose his job or quit or something we will still make enough through his military disability that we can make all our bill payments and still afford the van payment as well because it will be half of the 2017 payment price. It's upsetting because he has been telling me for like 5-6 years he will get us a new vehicle always gets me excited driving me through the lots looking and make it sound very feasible and everything. Which it was my idea not to put that financial burden on us by getting the 2017 right now if he feels something could happen to his job because he is the bread winner I'm a stay at home mom so it falls on his shoulders he feels bad but we are trying to compromise and still get us a van just won't be the newest year available which I'm ok with it as long as it's not super high mileage the vehicles we own now already are so I feel it is dumb to just add to that with another high mileage one especially when a van is not a necessity it's just a want and gonna be more of a convience with two babies.